Incense Faith Transformation

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Instantly, crackling sounds emanated from Qiu Yan's entire body, his clothes bursting open with tiny holes, as if dozens of invisible arrows were shooting out from beneath his garments.

"No wonder he asked me those questions on the way here. It seems he was prepared in advance, intending to use these two ambushers to force his own potential, thereby refining and mastering the Central Pivot Soul more quickly!"

Far away, the longsword stuck in the ground floated up into the air, its senses extending, and from its perspective, it could see everything that had happened to Qiu Yan.

"His body is cracking all over now because his thoughts and strength have invaded his flesh and blood, expelling the vital energy from his bones, muscles, and skin."

Longsword wasn't the only one to notice this; two Marshfolk also saw through it, their expressions growing increasingly grim.

"Could it be that Qiu Yan is using us as practice targets?"

"Is he using the two of us to put pressure on himself in order to refine his Central Pivot Soul? How old is Qiu Yan, and he's already refined to the Fifth Soul?"

The thoughts of the surrounding creatures did not affect Qiu Yan in the slightest. At this moment, his mind was focused on every part of his body. He clearly grasped every piece of flesh, every Root Bone, every bone, and even the flow of strength and True Qi. Original Edition, when he threw a punch, at least one-third to one-fifth of the force would dissipate. But now, the force was in his mind, and he could feel it everywhere. He couldn't help but recall the Lying God Inner Art he had practiced before.

The "Lying God Inner Art" was obtained from Yin Xiao'e. It is a method of Soul Refinement through visualization and meditation. However, with Qiu Yan's current perspective and level of understanding, he has a different feeling about it.

"My will permeates every part of my body, each thought connected to a force, as precise as an arm or finger, leaving nothing out, as if a deity were suppressing a point, with thought and force advancing and retreating in unison. This allows the scattered forces to be twisted into one!"

Suddenly, a flash of Spiritual Light struck him—

"That's right! When believers visualize the Divine Name and image of the deity, aren't each believer also contributing their strength, their blood, and their flesh?"

Suddenly, a brand new window opened in Qiu Yan's heart.

"So that's how it is! So that's how it is! Fourth Grade derived divine soil, Third Grade is..."

As he pondered, the Central Pivot Soul had already taken shape, merging with the other Four Souls. It began to rotate and change!

Instantly, the flesh, blood, muscles, and bones of the entire body appeared in the mind, and even emotions and thoughts were clearly captured and sensed. The Central Pivot nervous system remained still, yet it orchestrated the entire body!

Two scarlet lines gradually appeared on Qiu Yan's ribs, winding and intertwining. The pattern formed resembled two deities sitting cross-legged on his side.

The Fifth Soul, the Central Pivot Soul, Central Pivot unmoved. Twin Rib Patterns!

The next moment, the Three Souls were drawn in, and the aura of the Three Souls that were wrapped around them slowly contracted!

Gradually, the sixth Soul Shadow became clearer and clearer.

The Six Souls: The Wisdom Soul!

The Central Pivot Soul can coordinate the whole body and control flesh, bones, emotions, and thoughts. It can be dispersed in a patch or condensed in a point. It can expand and compress flesh and tendons, representing a transformation of the body, developing every part of the body and making every place vigilant.

The Wisdom Soul, however, shifted from the physical body inward, the Unseen and mysterious state, giving Qiu Yan a glimmer of understanding that lingered, yet remained elusive and intangible.

"Wisdom Soul ..."

As he pondered, he snapped out of his reverie, his gaze first falling on the two Marshfolk before shifting to the side.

The puppet standing next to the Marshfolk noticed the gaze and bowed slightly to Qiu Yan. The traces of poison on his body had almost faded, leaving only a dark spot.

The True Spirit that once belonged to Tang Lai was long gone from this puppet; in its place was a consciousness formed by the combination of Incense Faith.

This aggregation and arrangement of consciousness is similar to the program in Qiu Yan's previous life. It belongs to artificially created wisdom because it integrates the power of gods and the thoughts of many believers. It can react to anything and is no different from ordinary people.

Qiu Yan walked over and nodded. "Since the venom has been mostly removed, let's leave it in the city. However, we can't use the original name anymore, so we need to change it. Hmm, your cultivation is profound, and you can protect your family's safety with martial arts, so let's call you Qiu An."

Upon hearing this, Qiu An, who was Original Edition Tang Lai, nodded. His blurry face gradually became clear, revealing the appearance of a young man, quite ordinary, and completely different from Tang Lai's youthful face.

The Incense Faith within Qiu An's body also underwent some changes, and several chains of Karma were breaking.

Having dealt with that matter, Qiu Yan turned his attention to the two Marshfolk.

Although the two were imprisoned and on the ground, they were shocked and resentful to see Qiu Yan refining the Central Pivot Soul. However, their killing intent towards Qiu Yan did not diminish in the slightest. When Qiu Yan came over, they kept cursing him, saying that he was a murderer who had killed many of their clansmen.

Qiu Yan shook his head upon hearing this, finding it difficult to comprehend their logic. "You Marshfolk crossed the border to burn, kill, and plunder, harboring malicious intentions from the start. Being defeated and killed by your master is your own fault, yet you still act so self-righteously. Do you think only the lives of your own people matter, while the lives of the people of the Central Plains whom you robbed and slaughtered are not?"

The Marshfolk sneered, "If I can't wait for the raid, how will I survive the dry season? How will I get through the winter? In the end, won't I just die?" As he spoke, hatred blared in their eyes.

"As expected, one cannot discuss ice with a summer insect." Qiu Yan shook his head, glanced at Qiu An, and ordered, "Send them on their way; there's nothing more to say."

These two came to kill him, and even now, their killing intent remains unchanged. Their resolve is firm, and their thinking is completely out of step with the Central Plains. Qiu Yan certainly wouldn't keep them around as a threat. Moreover, these two must be considered experts in the Biaoxin clan. Letting them go would cause more turmoil in the Five Marshes and would be detrimental to the spread of the Kitchen God Sacrifice.

After giving the order, Qiu Yan stopped looking at the two Marshfolk who were still cursing and turned to walk towards the longsword, while he was thinking.

"The concept of 'Marshfolk' cannot be changed by preaching alone. Educating them is not something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires addressing issues such as the level of productivity and their way of life."

Upon reaching the longsword, before Qiu Yan could speak, the longsword preemptively asked, "This time, comprehending the power of your entire body must have had a significant impact on you. Did you find any trace of Fist Intent?" Its words resonated powerfully.

"I've gained some insights." Qiu Yan nodded.

The longsword sneered, "When you came, you asked me about the method to comprehend the Central Pivot Soul. I only gave you a slight hint, and you grasped it immediately, putting it into practice and succeeding in one fell swoop. In terms of comprehension alone, even Xi Yun is not as good as you. Now that you have refined the Central Pivot Soul, in addition to being able to control your entire body and keep the Central Pivot Soul still, you can also condense external objects into your internal organs, making your five internal organs like soldiers, Life Prolonger more than two hundred years. Such a rapid increase in lifespan is truly enviable."

Its words were full of sighs, showing no concern whatsoever about whether it was strange for a sword to express such sentiments.

"Life Prolonger?" Qiu Yan's heart skipped a beat.

"Indeed, the path of Life Cultivation emphasizes tempering the physical body. If one's lifespan doesn't increase as a result, one will die before even completing the cultivation, wouldn't that be a waste? Moreover, you humans are better off; for ordinary beings, due to issues such as meridians, cultivation is much more difficult. They often have to spend several times, ten times, or even a hundred times more time than humans to reach the same level."

At this point, it changed its tone. "However, I still have to remind you. Taking risks to advance is not the right path. Moreover, you took many shortcuts in your previous advancements in Life Cultivation. You must have absorbed external Essence Blood. This might not have been a problem before, at most creating hidden dangers in your body. With a little refinement and gradual progress, these could be eliminated. But refining the Central Pivot Soul, muscles, bones, and skin is all under your control. Adding even a little more is too much, and losing even a little is too little. Only what you have cultivated yourself is truly suitable."

The longsword's words were transmitted through thought, making them easy for Qiu Yan to understand.

"I see. As one's cultivation level increases, one's flesh and bones gradually transform, and even the most concentrated external Essence Blood becomes like impurities. Absorbing Outer Dao Essence Blood can also hinder the comprehension of Fist Intent, and there may be changes in future advancements."

Before Qiu Yan could finish his thought, the longsword continued, "Besides, absorbing the Essence Blood of external objects to advance in rank can easily lead to dependency, which is harmful to martial arts. Without ambition, one will ultimately achieve nothing."

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Jian."

"You will understand these things in your future cultivation. I am just revealing them in advance. Also, don't call me 'Brother Sword' anymore. My name is 'Jadebreaker,' and my name Jadebreaker Sword Technique!"

As the two men and their swords were conversing, two loud explosions suddenly rang out from the side, abruptly silencing the two Marshfolk.

From beginning to end, the Greensteel Longsword never inquired about Qiu An's identity, as if it were a complete stranger.

Afterwards, Qiu Yan did not linger. He quickly returned to the city, went inside, changed into a long robe, and then came out of the room. Everything was as usual, as if the two Marshfolk had never appeared.

In the following days, the Liu Household held a banquet, the prefect offered his congratulations, and people from the Pan Household came to visit. The event was lively and bustling, with everyone surrounding Qiu Yan. Qiu Yan's reputation also soared, and everyone inside and outside Yuanning Prefecture knew that he was this year's top scholar in the provincial examination.

As the name of the top scholar spread, his calligraphy skills also gradually became known. In addition, with the spread of his Southwestern Military Strategy, Qiu Yan's reputation grew day by day, and the People's Wishes help kept coming and going, increasing day by day!

Seven days later, a letter arrived from the Daofu (prefectural government office), written in the handwriting of Inspector Liu Jing, addressed to Qiu Yan.

Upon opening the letter and reading what it mentioned, Qiu Yan was surprised.

"Liu Jing actually managed to get me a formal apprenticeship certificate from the Eastern Capital Principle Sect!"

Even though Qiu Yan lived in the southwest, the name of the Eastern Capital Principle Sect was well-known. He knew it was the contemporary holy land of Confucianism, and the two founders of the school were known as living Sage. They showed signs of leading the world's academic tradition and were revered as the most respected of all schools of thought.

With this apprenticeship certificate, Qiu Yan was qualified to go to the Principle School Academy to study!

Leaving aside the scholarship of the two living Sage, the mere fact that such an academy, which gathers the best talents in the world, can be entered is an honor in itself. Not to mention that one can use it to build connections, which will bring many benefits if one becomes a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and enters the officialdom in the future.

"Liu Jing is trying to curry favor with the Principle School Academy..."

Qiu Yan sat in the chair, squinted, and unconsciously flicked his fingers as he fell into thought.

Sudden!

"Hmm? Something's changed regarding the incense offerings!"

His expression suddenly changed drastically. Forgetting the letter in his hand, he stood up abruptly, hurriedly went outside, looked up at the sky, and his face became solemn.

"Lü Liang has finally made his move!" (To be continued)

P. S.: Thank you to "Invincible@ Great Luo Golden Immortal" for the donation!

The next chapter might be later.